Brendan Fraser becomes animal enemy No. 1 in 'Furry Vengeance'

Brendan Fraser peeks his head out of the door to a meeting room at the Liberty Hotel in Boston. “Got any more Red Bull?” he asks one of his publicists.

On a table in the room where Fraser is holding court sits an empty Starbucks cup, more Red Bull cans and unopened water bottles.

To say the actor is overcaffeinated would be an understatement. He’s flat-out hopped up on a wicked caffeine high, which is probably why it’s so hard to keep him focused.

Fraser (“The Mummy”) and co-star Brooke Shields were in town to promote their family comedy “Furry Vengeance,” which opens Friday.

In the film Fraser and Shields (“Lipstick Jungle”) are husband and wife Dan and Tammy Sanders.

Dan’s an “eco-friendly” real estate developer about to mow down virgin territory in the Oregon woods to build McMansions. The woodland critters are mad as heck and they’re not going to take it anymore. Led by a crafty raccoon, the forest creatures – skunks, beavers, possums, etc. – strike back to save their habitat. Hijinks involving skunks, a portable toilet and a persistent woodpecker ensue, as Dan becomes animal enemy No. 1.

“A lot of things happen to Dan in this movie. It was, ‘What mean trick are we going to play on Brendan today?’ Let’s hang him from a harness and drop him on his head. Let’s stick 400 gallons of fake poop all over him,” Fraser said. “It’s a movie about animals who play mean tricks on me – really mean tricks – for about 72 minutes, to make him go away. There, that’s the whole movie.”

Fraser might have felt Mother Nature’s wrath on screen, but fortunately for him his movie wife stayed in character off screen.

“I felt like his wife. I would get the Red Bull and green tea. I would have it ready. I would call you to make sure that you’re going to get where you’re supposed to be,” she reminded Fraser, laughing uncontrollably.

“Why did you take care of me?” Fraser asks.

“Because that’s my job,” she replies.

Shields, 44, is the mother of two young daughters and married to TV producer Chris Henchy (“Entourage”).

Fraser doesn’t remember, but Shields revealed he got hurt on set daily. “I would get the ice packs ready. He never complained, but you would see him and he’d be walking in and I would ask ‘What the hell do you have taped to your foot now?’ It would be an ice pack wrapped in an Ace bandage,” Shields recalled.

Even though “Vengeance” marks their first time working together, Shields and Fraser seem like longtime friends, poking fun and imitating one another. She mimics his hearty laugh and lightning-quick speech while he feigns seriousness and deadpans: “I despise her. It’s over. We can’t continue on like this for these interviews.”

More laughter breaks out. They are so at ease with each other that it’s challenging to crash their party to ask questions.

When Fraser comes up for air, he turns to me and asks, “Hey, did you check out my gut? I could rest my Red Bull on my gut.” Fraser gained 40 pounds for the role. “It’s a good comedy prop. Chubby is funny in movies. My butt was enormous, too.”

Comedy aside, Fraser, 42, has received acclaim for dramatic roles in films like “School Ties,” “Crash,” “Gods and Monsters” and “Inkheart.” On the flip side his career is also punctuated with franchises like “The Mummy” and the turkeys “Encino Man” and “George of the Jungle.” The diversity is no accident, Fraser said, who proudly speaks of his hits and misses.

“After all is said and done, it’s all work. You should love what you’re doing, not yourself in the role or piece your doing. ... Make someone else look good. Set someone else up to spike the ball. That’s the way it makes it work. That’s always been my work approach. That’s the nose-in-the-air answer,” Fraser said before sitting back and letting another belly laugh rip.

“But, really, I do so many different roles because I can’t figure out what I really want to do. So I’m going to try something different every time, otherwise I will get bored and so will the audience.”

From wearing a red bra to a pink sweat suit with “Yum, Yum” emblazoned on his butt cheeks, moviegoers can expect to see Fraser in lots of silly situations (none of which he’d call embarrassing) in “Furry Vengeance.”

“You have to take the piss out of yourself first so nobody else can,” said Fraser, reaching for another Red Bull.

Reach Dana Barbuto at dbarbuto@ledger.com.

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